


Mice on Venus

by Anonymous



Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, Hurt/Comfort, Idiots in Love, Light Angst, M/M, Mutual Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-19
Updated: 2021-03-20
Packaged: 2021-03-28 17:06:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 16,908
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30142779
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: Ranboo comes from a family that can do magic. Everyone in his family is born with a specific magical power that is unique to them.That is, everyone except him.He finds himself lost in between the magic and human worlds, not entirely sure which one he fits into better, having been raised by both of them. What he does know is that he's slowly falling for his childhood best friend, a human, who has no idea that magic exists.
Relationships: Ranboo/Toby Smith | Tubbo
Comments: 8
Kudos: 195
Collections: Completed stories I've read, anonymous





	1. Wet Hands

It was a painfully uneventful workday for Tubbo. The rain poured heavily outside, and aside from him, Ranboo and Tommy were the only ones in the shop. Tommy mainly because the WiFi that was offered was free, Ranboo seemed to only care about distracting poor Tubbo from doing his job. Thankfully, it was cold and rainy outside. Not a single customer had come inside in the last thirty minutes. Any smart person would know to stay home in this kind of weather.

Both Tubbo and Ranboo had been mid-conversation when a blinding flash of white light, followed by possibly the deepest rumble of thunder Tubbo had ever heard erupted from what seemed like nowhere. It had only been slightly cloudy up until a couple of minutes ago, the weather had shown no signs of incoming storms, especially not one of this size.

All of the lights inside of the coffee house flickered momentarily, before dying out completely.

“Well, that’s not the best.”

“No shit. How the hell am I supposed to do my job now?”

Ranboo laughed. “You don’t. Here, unplug everything that’s connected to some sort of outlet. It’s dangerous to keep that kind of stuff in when there’s a thunderstorm this big.”

Tubbo frowned. “But what about-”

“The weather outside is dangerous, I don’t think you’ll be getting any more customers today. Just close up shop early, unplug anything hazardous, and we can all walk back to my and Tommy’s apartment. It’s just across the street, and I don’t want you walking all the way down to your house in this kind of weather.”

_ But what if his boss _ \- nope, Tubbo knew it was the safest option, and agreed. He began to unplug all of the appliances while Ranboo told Tommy (who had had his headphones in the entire time and barely noticed a thing) that they were all going to be headed back to the apartment. It was only then that Tommy realized the power had gone out.

“Woah, what the fuck.”

“How the hell do you manage to not notice something like that?”

Tommy laughed. “I don’t know, I was focused! I need to get this paper in by tomorrow-”

“Which is entirely your fault, might I add.” Ranboo punched him on the shoulder playfully. “We had all of the last two weeks to complete it, I even offered to help you-”

“I had other assignments!”

_ “Suuure.” _

Soon enough, everyone was packed and ready to go. Tubbo had made his way to the door when he realized.

“Um, does anyone have an umbrella?”

Both Tommy and Ranboo shook their heads.

“It’s only just across the street,” Tommy pointed out. “We shouldn’t get too wet.”

Tubbo shrugged, not looking fully convinced but agreed nonetheless. “Alright, we run on the count of three?”

“Make sure no cars are coming first.”

Tubbo chuckled. “Yeah, that too.”

They looked for cars from inside the glass doors of the shop. When they were sure that all the nearby cars had been stopped at red lights, they booked it out and into the street. Tommy screamed some kind of broken war cry, his voice cracking with laughter.

“Tommy, what the hell,” Ranboo wheezed. “you’re so freaking weird.”

By the time they made it to the other side, they were all a giggling, drenched mess.

Well, maybe not Tubbo. Tubbo groaned when he noticed the state his clothes were in.

“What the hell am I supposed to change into? These are the only clothes I’ve got with me, I’m just gonna track water all over your guys’ place.”

Tommy shrugged. “Y’know, Ranboo probably has something you could borrow.”

To which he gave Tommy the  _ I’m-gonna-fucking-kill-you-later _ look.

“Er- yeah. I’ve got a couple of spare hoodies you can pick from. They’re probably bigger than you though, so-”

“It’s fine, I don’t mind.” Tubbo felt his face heating up. He obviously couldn’t see his reflection, but if he were to guess, his face was bright red. If Tommy or Ranboo noticed, they certainly didn’t say anything.

“Let’s keep going,” Ranboo suggested, the tension only easing up slightly.

Their apartment was only a couple of buildings down the line. Tubbo was still amazed that both Tommy and Ranboo’s parents had allowed them to get their own place, despite the fact that they were both still 17. From what he’d heard, it had something to do with the private school the two of them attended.

Ranboo and Tommy never talked about their school life, at least not while Tubbo was around. Why they kept it so private was anybody’s guess, but Tubbo respected them and their personal lives, he never pushed either of them for answers.

He’d only ever visited their apartment on a couple of occasions and never stayed for longer than necessary. Sometimes when the two were up late studying, and Tubbo would finish working some excruciatingly late shift, he’d sometimes visit them and bring over some much-needed caffeine. They’d let Tubbo sleep on the couch, knowing it was far too late for him to be walking home alone. The couch wasn’t comfortable in the slightest, but he appreciated the gesture enough to stay.

There were only a couple of times when he’d been invited over simply for the purpose of hanging out. Ranboo admitted that their school didn’t leave them much room for free time. Tubbo had known him almost all his life, and it saddened him to know that as time went on they were spending less and less time with each other as they both grew older. Tubbo was certain it upset Ranboo too, which is probably why most days he came over to the coffee lab simply to be around him, even if the two rarely did speak.

The moment they stepped into Ranboo’s dry, warm apartment, he immediately rushed to his room to retrieve dry clothes for both him and Tubbo.

“Wow, you’re helping Tubbo out and not me? Shows how much you care about our friendship,” Tommy teased.

“Go get your own clothes, dickhead,” Ranboo retorted, tossing Tubbo a green sweater, black sweatpants, and a pair of clean socks. “Just hand me your wet clothes once you’ve changed and I’ll dry them overnight,” he added, nodding to Tubbo.

“Can’t believe you’d help your boyfriend over me,” Tommy muttered, quiet enough that only Ranboo could hear.

“He’s not- whatever you say, dude.”

-

About an hour passed, and the three of them were eating deeply mediocre frozen pizza while watching equally mediocre Netflix films. Even though he was spending the night watching movies with his two best friends, Tubbo still felt a little guilty about being there. He felt as though he were intruding on something private, though he didn’t know exactly why. Nothing about Tommy and Ranboo’s apartment felt particularly closeted, it was a casual, maybe somewhat trashed looking space with homey figurines and photographs scattered across the area. There was some inexplicable energy that made him feel like he _ just wasn’t supposed to be there.  _ It’s uncomfortable, to say the least.

“Tubbo, are you okay? You look pale.”

Tubbo realizes his name’s been called, and Ranboo’s looking down at him with this worried look on his face. 

“What? I’m always pale.”

“No dude, you’re like, ghostly pale,” Tommy chimed in. “Are you gonna throw up?”

“No, I’m fi-” He was most certainly not fine. At that moment, Tubbo felt as though something sharp was jabbing him in the stomach. Oh, god. He  _ did _ feel like throwing up.

“Do you want anything to drink? I’m pretty sure we’ve got ginger ale somewhere at the back of the pantry-”

Tubbo shook his head. “It’s alright, I think I just need to sleep off-” he winced again. “-whatever this is.”

“Maybe we should go to bed early then,” Ranboo suggested. “Tubbo, you take my bed. I don’t want you sleeping on the couch when you’re like this.”

There was a slight snigger from Tommy, Ranboo hoped that Tubbo hadn’t heard it.

He hesitated. That feeling of intrusion- it was stronger than ever. “Are you sure? I don’t want to steal your bed-”

“Tubbo, just take the bed. I’m sorry, but- look at you! I can’t let you sleep on the couch.”

“I’m really that pathetic?”

“Yeah. Just go, I’ll be fine.”

Tubbo looked unsure but agreed nonetheless. Some mixture of exhaustion and knowing Ranboo was too stubborn a bastard gave him little to no energy to fight back.

“Just text my mum that she might need to pick me up tomorrow morning? I don’t think I’ll feel like walking all the way back.”

“Of course. Now go and get some sleep, don’t want to wake up looking like that tomorrow morning.” Ranboo ruffled the shorter boy’s hair, to which he scrunched his nose up in response.

“You’re too kind.”

-

Ranboo couldn’t sleep.

For one, he was worried about Tubbo. The sickness seemed to come out of nowhere. 

Had he gotten sick in the rain? No, his symptoms weren’t anywhere close to that of a cold. Nausea and stomach pains were more flu-like than anything.

“You’re still up?”

Tommy’s voice surprised him. “Yeah. This couch sucks, man.”

His roommate raised an eyebrow, not believing that was the only reason for his lack of sleep. Ranboo gave him a warning look in response. Tommy had a way of getting information out of him.

“I’m worried for Tubbo,” he finally admitted. “The illness? It seemed to come out of nowhere.”

“Well, yeah. That’s not surprising. I’m surprised this is the first time it’s happened- he’s been here many times before.”

Ranboo glanced up at Tommy, a look of confusion on his face. “Um, what? I don’t follow.”

“Humans aren’t supposed to enter magic areas. They get overwhelmed by all the energies and confusing vibes.”

_ Wait. _

“But this isn’t a ‘magic area’. This is our apartment.”

Tommy laughed in disbelief. “Dude. This whole apartment building is _ full  _ of people who practice magic. That alone is enough to make an area dangerous for humans to be around.” He paused. “Surely you must’ve realized that?”

“Well- yes. I mean, no. That sounds vaguely familiar, so I guess it slipped my mind. Like you said- Tubbo has never been affected- at least not this severely- ever in his life.”

“You need to be more careful. You don’t want to end up hurting him, and you definitely don’t want him finding out about your magic abilities on accident.”

“But- I’m a human. How come I’m not affected by the energy, but he is?”

“Probably because you grew up surrounded by it? I dunno, man. Why do you think Tubbo looks so afraid every time he comes into our apartment? Some part of him knows he’s not supposed to be here. It’s all part of the spell-workings.”

“But I’m not-”

Tommy sighed. “Look man, this is a  _ you _ problem, not a  _ me _ problem. If you’re so worried, just stop inviting Tubbo over.”

“I just don’t understand.”

Tommy shrugged, already making his way back to his bedroom.

“You will.”

-

Ranboo hated Tommy.

Okay, not  _ really _ . But some days their friendship felt more tedious than others.

The two of them had grown up together. Both of them had come from separate magic families and had so far done all of their schoolings together. When he was 4 years old, Tommy discovered that just by looking at a person, he instantly saw and understood their entire future. All of it, in full detail from start to finish.

And from what he’d gathered, there was nothing he could do to change any of the outcomes he saw. He was terrified as a child, realizing how much power he held. He was still terrified, he never liked the flashes of visions and waves of emotion he received every time he made eye contact with a stranger. 

The only person whose future he couldn’t read was his own.

As a child, Tommy felt guilty every time he read someone something about their future. Why? It wasn’t his place to tell them those things. They hadn’t happened yet, what was the point in living if you already knew what was going to happen?

After a while of this, he made a promise to himself that he’d never spoil someone’s future for them ever again, no matter how many times they asked.

Ranboo asked a lot when they were kids. He’d ask if he really  _ did  _ have powers, or if maybe the quiet kid from their class would ever mind being friends with him. If the girl he ended up marrying was pretty, et cetera et cetera. Tommy was wise beyond his years having filled his mind with other people’s life stories and experiences. He never once let a detail slip or let Ranboo’s begging get the best of him. Eventually, he stopped, both out of acceptance that he’d never get an answer plus the realization that he didn’t even  _ want _ an answer.

Years had passed, and Ranboo still hadn’t found out what his powers were. It was at this point that he simply accepted that he had none, he was the black sheep of his family. He was still required to attend magic school, as his teachers still had their hopes up and would refer to him as a “late bloomer.”

_ Yeah, right. _

The only thing Ranboo found he was impressively good at was his ability to lucid dream. He’d learned how to at the young age of six, and he’d never had a regular dream since. It was fun, a way for him to escape the harsh reality that was his magic life and find peace in whatever fantasies he decided to indulge himself in that night.

His teachers, however, weren’t so convinced that his ability to lucid dream was all that natural. Nobody learned skills like that so quickly, let alone at six years old. Whether it truly was his power or the gateway to obtaining it, they were determined to observe his dreaming abilities. Ranboo found it absolutely obnoxious.

So what if he could lucid dream? Humans could lucid dream. The ability most certainly didn’t make him magical. The only reason he never denied the possibility was that he knew what happened to humans who've been discovered attending school meant for magic folk. They were required to have all of their memories relating to magic wiped clean of their mind, and Ranboo most certainly didn’t want to forget about Tommy, magic, or his family.

Ranboo often found himself lost in between the magic and human worlds, not entirely sure which one he fit into better.

He wasn’t entirely sure when or if he’d ever find an answer to that question.

-

Tubbo’s mom picked him up early the next morning, promising that he’d be taken care of and given the day off. Ranboo still felt guilty knowing the whole situation was his fault, and that he’d probably feel a hundred times better the minute he left.

“It’s alright, you didn’t know.” Tommy read his thoughts. 

_ You know, just psychic things. _

“You didn’t sound so sympathetic last night,” Ranboo teased in reply.

“Yeah, that’s cause it was past midnight and I’m already behind on sleep. I think I’m allowed to be a little crabby-”

“Hey man, you’re the one that came out to check up on me!”

“I was going to the kitchen to get water, but your  _ stupidity _ distracted me.”

“My stupidity-!”

-

Magic school was the fucking worst.

For the most part, it was the exact same as any other public school (which he’d attended all the way up until his freshman year of high school, which is when he and every other  _ “gifted kid” _ made the switch). The main difference between the two was that they were forced to learn practically double the usual subjects. Everyone was given at least one class period to work with a personal trainer on mastering their own magic ability. Other classes included the history of magic, reading magic texts, and the study of how magic and science were “related” (they really weren’t, literally nothing in the class made sense to him). All of that plus the regularly required classes to graduate meant that school days were long and tedious. 

There were days when that alone was almost enough for Ranboo to request having his memory wiped and to be sent to a regular, less stressful schooling experience.

But that meant losing practically everything, so of course, he didn’t.

Magic training, in Ranboo’s book, was singlehandedly the worst subject to possibly exist (thank god it was his last for the day). For the most part, their sessions were just his trainer Mrs. Reynolds, an old woman whose voice sounded about three cigarettes away from death, telling him to meditate for forty minutes a day. Something about unlocking his true potential, strengthening his ability to lucid dream, or something along those lines. None of it made sense. Not to mention Ranboo was scared to tell her that none of her training actually worked, he was afraid that she might-

The bell rang. Ranboo was ready to get the hell out of Mrs. Reynolds’ classroom, but her hand on his shoulder stopped him from leaving.

“I know you’re doubtful in your abilities,” she began in her low, gravelly voice. “But I promise you, there is nothing ordinary about you. We will get there together, you and me, and figure out what’s stopping you from using your powers.”

And for a moment, he wanted to believe her. He wanted to believe that he  _ was _ special, that maybe he was just a late bloomer like everyone said.

He faked a smile and thanked her for today’s “lesson.” He was ready to get the hell out of both the classroom and school in general.

Ranboo was quick to pick Tommy out from the crowd. He waved, trying to get the younger guy’s attention. No such luck. Oh well, Ranboo had no real better option than to startle him from behind (he most definitely had better options).

Springing upon him with a scream, Tommy didn’t react in the slightest. He laughed at his friend’s attempt to startle him, before shoving him off.

“Dumbass. I knew you were gonna do that. Are you ready to go?”

“Yeah, I just-” he paused. The idea of making another stop at the coffee shop was enticing, he wanted to check and make sure that Tubbo was well again. “Do you think Tubbo is feeling any better? Maybe he’ll be at work today.”

Tommy shrugged. “I doubt it. But if you’re so worried you could just visit him yourself. I’m sure he’d appreciate it, coming from  _ you _ .”

Ranboo snorted. “Shut up, you’re making it sound as though he’s my  _ boyfriend _ or something.”

-

_ Being a psychic wasn’t all it was hyped up to be. _

Sometimes Tommy answered Ranboo’s questions before he even voiced them out loud because he already knew what he was going to say, causing him to huff in annoyance anytime he got cut off.

Whenever they watched movies together, Tommy looked bored and uninterested. He’d already seen the ending play in someone else’s head beforehand.

Sure, Tommy couldn’t see his own future. That was the main limitation of his powers. But as long as he was a part of somebody else’s future, it didn’t really matter. Tommy had already figured out most of his future anyway, right up to the date that he died.

Tommy wished so,  _ so _ badly that he didn’t have the powers that he did. That he could just swap them out for somebody else’s. They didn’t make him feel strong, or important in any way. They just made him feel scared.

Every time Ranboo whined to him about his lack of powers. Every time he complained about Tubbo  _ probably _ not liking him back. Holding back the urge to scream “He does like you, you idiot!” or “You do have powers, you just haven’t experienced them fully!” just felt impossible some days. 

His friend was an idiot, and there was nothing he could do about it.

-

Ranboo

Hey dude, are you feeling any better? :(

Tubbo

yeah, a lot better tbh. my mum’s worried that it’s the flu tho, and she doesn’t want me seeing anyone over the weekend

Ranboo’s heart sunk. There went any plans he might have made to visit Tubbo over the next couple of days. 

Ranboo

Oh, that sucks. Why’s she keeping you in if you’re already feeling better?

Tubbo

probably scared that it’s gonna come back?

or that i’m asymptomatic and could end up spreading it without realizing it

Ranboo

Damn, I was planning on stopping by with some get-well-soon snacks lmao.

Tubbo

snacks? 

i would literally do anything for a bag of monster munch rn, you have no idea

what if i let you sneak in at some point tonight in an attempt to deliver me some much-needed junk food

and to visit ofc, i’m lonely up here

Ranboo’s heart did a flip when he thought about meeting up with Tubbo in secret. Tubbo was not a rebellious kid, so this kind of idea coming from him was an entirely new concept to Ranboo.

Ranboo

Lmao hell yeah, what time do you want me to come over? I wanna get there sometime when we have at least a little bit of time to hang out before one of your parents get up

Tubbo:

wait ur actually down? i was joking but that actually sounds awesome

maybe head over at 12 so you’ll be here by 1 at the latest?

Ranboo

Okay cool. So besides monster much, what kinds of snacks do you like?

-

By the time he was done shopping, he’d picked out a decent assortment of snacks and drinks that seemed as if they’d be good on a sensitive stomach. A couple of bottles of Gatorade, a can of iced herbal tea, some instant noodle cups (nothing spicy of course), the previously mentioned bag of chips ( _ they were  _ chips _ , not crisps, _ he thought to himself.), and a thing of peppermints to hopefully calm down any remaining nausea of Tubbo’s.

It was just after 10 at the time Ranboo had finished shopping. He still had another two hours before he was to visit Tubbo. He made his way back home, texting Tubbo for the time being.

Ranboo

Snacks have been secured

Tubbo

oo what’d you get?

Ranboo

It’s a surprise :) made sure that everything was safe to eat on an upset stomach too, in case your nausea comes back

Tubbo

what did i do to deserve u :(

Ranboo’s chest somersaulted.

\- 

A continuous thump came from outside Tubbo’s window. He jumped at the sudden noise, only to remember that it was most likely Ranboo here to drop off snacks.

“You know,” Tubbo started, unlocking and opening the latch for Ranboo to come inside, “you could've just texted me.”

“Yeah, but where’s the fun in that?”

“My parents could have heard you, I don’t want you getting in trouble for all of this.”

“But I wasn’t caught. And I don’t hear them getting up, do you?”

Tubbo rolled his eyes. “You’re too impulsive for your own good, you know that?”

“Oh, Tommy tells me all the time.” Ranboo laughed. “You’d think he had better things to do than just lecture me all day long.”

They’re laughing for a moment when Ranboo stopped abruptly, looking down at Tubbo. He noticed that he’s staring at his shirt…?

Oh.

_ Oh. _

He was still wearing the same hoodie that Ranboo had let him borrow the night before.

Ranboo still hadn’t given him his clothes back yet.

“I’m sorry, if you want, I can give it back to you now, I’ve got clean stuff over there in my-”

“No, keep it on.” he hesitated momentarily before adding, “It looks cute on you.”

Both Tubbo and Ranboo went red. Tubbo felt as though his cheeks were on fire, how could Ranboo say such things without meaning them like _ that? _

_ Ranboo. _

Had just called him  _ cute _ . What was Tubbo supposed to do in that situation? Call him cute in return? Should he laugh it off? Or should he lean in and kiss him, like he’d imagined doing so many times before?

Instead, Tubbo remained quiet, feeling as though his jaw was glued shut.

Ranboo broke the silence. “So tell me, what bullshit went down in public school this week? I want all the details, Bee.”

-

An hour passed, and the two of them had gotten through the big bag of monster munch and two Gatorades. It was nearing two o’clock, and the tension from earlier had long passed. While they were both a cheery, giggling mess, Tubbo looked like he was about to pass out from exhaustion, as Ranboo busily cleaned up any food wrappers they’d left out in the open. He noticed his friend’s continuous jerky movements as he struggled to stay sitting upward.

“You know, you can go to sleep if you’re so tired. I should be leaving soon anyway.”

“Boo, can’t you stay a little longer? My mum’s not letting me see anyone this weekend, think of how lonely I’ll be,” he whined, though only half-jokingly. “Please? Just stay?”

And with a pleading voice like that, how could Ranboo say no?

“Fine. But no more than an hour. I can’t risk your mom walking in and catching me in here.”

“You say that as if we’re doing something bad.”

“Oh, so breaking into your room at one in the morning to smuggle in snacks isn’t bad enough for you? Sorry, sorry, I’ll make sure to go for something illegal next time. What kind of drugs do you want me to bring?”

Tubbo snorted with laughter, but it quickly got consumed by a heavy yawn.

“Not tired my ass. Come on, let’s get your sleepy butt to bed.”

“But Ranboo-”

“No buts. You need your sleep, even if there isn’t any school tomorrow.”

“I just-” Tubbo froze mid-sentence. “I don’t think I can.”

Ranboo only then noticed how nervous his friend looked. His eyes refused to meet his own, and he shuffled with his hands in anxiety.

“Hey there, Tubbo, is there something going on? Why don’t you want to-”

“Fuck.”

Tubbo looked small. Scared. Of what, Ranboo wasn’t certain until-

_ “I just can’t sleep, Ranboo.” _

Silence.

...

And then, it all came spilling out. While Tubbo was a relatively introverted person, he rarely cried. So for him to burst into tears and shaky breathing, Ranboo was taken for a surprise.

“I’ve been having these night terrors for- for I don’t know how many months now. They- they’re awful. The reason my schedule’s been so fucked up is that I’m scared to sleep. It’s nearly impossible for me to rest unless I’m literally on the verge of passing out. Please, Ranboo, I don’t want to fall asleep just yet.”

This was completely new information. No wonder Tubbo always looked so exhausted or drank literal cups of straight espresso every evening before his shifts. Or sent all of his texts and gaming invites at ungodly hours of the night.

“Nightmares?”

Tubbo only nodded in reply. 

“That’s… okay. Do you mind telling me what they’re about?”

Ranboo hadn't personally dealt with nightmares in over a decade. Ever since he discovered he could lucid dream, he never had to deal with one again.

“They’re about people that I care about. Getting hurt. Leaving me. Sometimes dying.” Tubbo’s voice cracked as tears streamed down his cheeks, broken cries choked in between his words.

“Woah- shit dude, do you need a hug?”

He didn’t get a verbal response. Instead, Tubbo practically threw himself at Ranboo, burying his face into the man’s sweater, dampening it with his tears.

Ranboo felt his own breathing hitch momentarily. He wrapped his arms around his friend tightly, rubbing comforting circles into his back as he cried. 

“It’s alright, it’s alright. I’m right here next to you, okay?”

And he knew he was running out of time. He had to leave soon- staying out this late was a bad idea for multiple reasons. But it didn’t feel right to leave his friend in the middle of- yeah. Leaving now would be an asshole move. He couldn’t just abandon his friend now, not when he had just opened up to him about something so personal. An idea struck Ranboo at that moment, hoping that maybe it would be enough to help Tubbo get through whatever it was exactly he was going through.

“Well, listen. It’s risky, but I can sleepover tonight. I’ll set an alarm on my phone for 5:30 AM, that way I can still get out of here before your parents wake up, and I’ll be here for you if any nightmares disturb you through the night.”

Tubbo swallowed. He looked doubtful at Ranboo’s plan. “That’s- I don’t want you to get in trouble, Ranboo. not for something dumb like this. And even if you did stay, where would you sleep?”

“Um,” Ranboo had  _ really _ been hoping that what he’d originally been thinking had already been implied, but apparently it hadn’t.

“I just- I thought that maybe I could sleep with you? Since well- I don’t know. Sleeping next to a warm body can be kind of comforting?”

Thank god it was dark in Tubbo’s room because Ranboo had gone beet red.  _ God _ , the words sounded even stupider coming out of his mouth. It was only silent for a couple of seconds, but to Ranboo, those seconds felt like literal hours. 

Sucking in a shaky breath, Tubbo replied.

“Okay.”

Ranboo paused. “Wait, you’re okay with it?”

Tubbo nodded. “I can’t sleep. Maybe your strategy will work. I mean, it’s worth a try, right?”

“Yeah, yeah. I get that.” Ranboo hadn’t been expecting Tubbo to be so on board with the idea. Surely cuddling up with his best friend wouldn’t trigger any sort of emotional response inside of him. Not at all.

_ This is fine,  _ he thought.  _ Completely fine. _

-

One minute, he’s warm. He wasn’t asleep, but he could feel the heat that came from Tubbo sleeping next to him.

It’s warm and comforting, Ranboo wished that he could stay next to him forever.

Of course, all good things come to an end. Because not even a second passed and he felt as though his  _ whole body’s been frozen solid.  _

He was lying down on something hard.  _ Was it the floor? _ His body was so,  _ so _ cold, and he couldn’t  _ move or breathe _ .

Oh, and it was dark.

Very,  _ very _ dark.

_ How did I get here? _

He could hear movement coming from all around him. People talking in hushed tones, which annoyed him. Ranboo didn’t understand a word that any of them are saying.

“I’m sorry.”

He couldn’t see his face, but Ranboo instantly recognized the voice belonging to Tubbo.

_ For what? _ He wanted to ask. But his voice was dead. Any questions he attempted to voice only hurt the back of this throat. There wasn’t anything he could do but lie and listen.

“You know, this whole thing could have easily been prevented. If only you’d been a little bit quicker.”

_ Tommy?  _ What was he doing here?

Where were they? And more specifically, where was  _ Ranboo _ ? Whatever had happened, it wasn’t good. Tommy sounded angry while Tubbo sounded two seconds away from breaking down.

“Ranboo’s gone, and your reluctance to do anything ended up costing his life.” Tommy’s voice was cold. He sounded as though he was holding back tears.

_ Tommy never cried.  _

“I tried, I really did-”

“Yeah? Well, your attempt sure as hell wasn’t enough.”

_ Was he dead? _ Why were they talking about him as though he weren’t… alive anymore? The darkness-

Was he in a  _ coffin _ ?

The deathly cold. The inability to move. The sad, hushed voices from all around him.

This was a funeral.

_ His  _ funeral

Alarmed at the fact that somehow, he’d caught himself in the middle of a nightmare, he attempted to lucid dream his way out of it.

But his body was so  _ still. _ So  _ cold _ . Any attempt he made at an escape felt hopeless. Ranboo realized as a terrifying chill ran down his back, that he  _ couldn’t lucid dream. _

_ Oh god,  _ he couldn’t get out. He was completely stuck, lying dead at what he presumed to be his own funeral, listening to Tubbo’s insistent cries that whatever had happened wasn’t his fault.

All that talk about nightmares. It must have triggered Ranboo into having one himself. The real question was,  _ why? _

Why now, after eleven whole years completely nightmare-free, was this the turning point?

“I just- I don’t know how it happened. One minute we were fine, the next-”

“Look. You wanna make excuses? Make excuses to your heart’s content. But don’t deny the fact that his death is on your hands.”

Ranboo wanted to scream. Scream that it wasn’t Tubbo’s fault, that it was all just a-

_...all just a dream. _

_ Wait. _

Tubbo had told him that his nightmares usually consisted of people he loved dying. Leaving him for inexplicable reasons. This scenario seemed a little too-

Ranboo’s heart skipped a beat as he realized couldn’t lucid dream because this wasn’t his  _ own _ dream.

It was  _ Tubbo’s _ .

Alarmed at the realization, his mind raced as he desperately tried to think up a way to get them out.

_ It’s okay, Tubbo, this isn’t real. _

_ Please, wake up. _

He wanted to scream. He wanted to reassure Tubbo that none of this was happening, that  _ if he just woke up everything would be alright. _

But he couldn’t, Ranboo was completely mute. He’d have to wait out the nightmare with Tubbo.

_ He hadn’t felt this powerless in years. _

-

_ I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m so- _

Tubbo woke up with a jump, his breathing ragged and his skin damp with sweat.  _ It was just a dream. _

_ Thank god. _

His shuffling around must have woken Ranboo. He looked up through a mess of scruffy hair and squinted eyes, locking his gaze with Tubbo’s.

“Shit, did I wake you?”

“No, no, you’re fine.” He paused, then added, “Did you have a nightmare?”

Tubbo nodded.

“Do you want to talk about it? It might help you feel better.”

He hesitated. He did, but he also didn’t. He didn’t like reliving those thoughts, but it simultaneously helped get them out of his mind.

“Okay. Just- give me a minute. I’m still trying to process… yeah.”

“It’s okay, take your time.”

“You  _ died _ , Ranboo. I was at your funeral, and…”

He swore that for a very, very brief second, Ranboo’s expression looked almost shocked. But it was back to normal by the time Tubbo blinked, so he was almost certain that he’d simply imagined it.

“Tommy blamed me for your death. It was terrifying, Ranboo-”

“Hey, hey, look, I’m here right now, and I’m perfectly okay.”

“I thought you were gone, Ranboo.”

“But I’m not. Here-” he pulled Tubbo into his arms, burying his face in the shorter man’s fluffy brunet hair. Tubbo hugged back instantaneously, wrapping his arms around him so tightly Ranboo looked as though he might suffocate.

_ Oh. _

Then came Tubbo’s question, so quiet that he was almost certain Ranboo hadn’t heard it.

“Can we cuddle tonight?”

He had. “Of course. But not for too long, my alarm’s supposed to go off in an hour or two.”

Tubbo wasn’t listening. He buried his face into Ranboo’s chest, clinging to him as though he might slip out of grasp and disappear at any moment.

_ This man was gonna be the death of him. _

Tubbo must’ve fallen asleep quickly because he swore that only a couple of seconds had passed when he looked up again, but when he did it was light outside, and Ranboo was nowhere to be seen.

-

Tubbo

did you make it home safe???

Ranboo

I’m still walking, I’m almost home. Are you feeling any better?

Tubbo

still pretty freaking exhausted. i slept well for the time u were there tho, so thank u for that

Ranboo

Of course, maybe I’ll just have to start sleeping over regularly again :)

Ranboo made it home right at the same moment that Tommy had just woken up. They stumbled into each other when Ranboo entered the kitchen, a determined look on his face.

“Tommy, you’re not gonna believe what happened last night.”

“Actually, I’ve got a pretty good hunch,” Tommy joked. “But go on, tell me anyway.”

“So I’m 99% sure that I do have powers, because last night when I was over at Tubbo’s, I-”

“You projected yourself into his dream, congratulations.” Tommy finished the sentence for him, which Ranboo then glared at him for. “Thank god you finally figured it out, you’ve got no idea how long that’s been killing me for. Yes, Ranboo, you  _ do _ have powers, and your teachers weren’t entirely wrong for thinking that lucid dreaming had something to do with-”

“Okay, okay, I get it. I’m oblivious to literally everything.” Ranboo laughed.

“I’m just messing with you. Really, man. I’m proud of you.”

“I can’t believe you just knew this whole time. How the hell do you keep a secret like that in for so long?”

Tommy shrugged. “I promised I wouldn’t tell you anything about your future. And believe me, there were times I wanted to smack you across the face and tell you that you had powers, you stupid, stubborn bastard-”

“Okay, okay, I get it. We have established the fact that I’m a literal dumbass.”

“Nah, you’re not a dumbass. You’re just not a psychic.”

-

The weekend went by fast. All of a sudden it was Monday, meaning time for Ranboo to reveal the big news to his teachers.

He was nervous. What would they say? Would they laugh and tell him “I told you so”? Or would nothing change? His teachers’ assumptions about his powers hadn’t been that far off.

Turns out, he had nothing to be nervous about. Most of his teachers were excited for him and suggested he take extra class periods with Mrs. Reynolds to really train his abilities.

At that point, he was absolutely sure he wasn’t ordinary like he originally thought, so the offer didn’t sound half bad. He agreed to take the history of magic off tomorrow in exchange for extra one on one training.

When he got outside, Tommy was already waiting for him.

“How’d it go?”

“I think you already know.”

Tommy shoved his friend playfully. They were sitting on the stairs leading outside of the school building. They weren’t in a hurry to move anywhere, so they took the time to reflect on their school days. 

“Well, yeah, but I wanna hear it anyway.”

“It went good, then” Ranboo smiled. “All my teachers were supportive, and told me I could skip a class every now and then for extra practice time.”

“Yeah? That’s great, dude!”

“Yeah, yeah.” He paused. “It’s just… now that I know for sure that I have powers, I’m gonna have to stay away from Tubbo, aren’t I?”

Tommy frowned. “What makes you say that?”

“If I’m practicing magic regularly, wouldn’t my magic energy just make him sick to be around? I don’t want to hurt him, and-”

“Ranboo. You’ve already  _ been _ practicing magic regularly for years now. Your ability to lucid dream? It’s not normal. People without magic spend years trying to master that, you just ‘figured it out’ when you were s child? That’s magic.”

“But aren’t we supposed to distance ourselves from the human world as much as possible?”

Tommy shrugged. “You never let that ‘rule’ stop you before. What’s so different about it now that you know you have powers?”

“I-” Ranboo paused, trying to find the right words to describe whatever the hell it was he was feeling.

“I don’t know.”

“You’re nervous, and that’s perfectly okay. Finding out you have supernatural powers is scary, I would know. But you have to remember that Tubbo is  _ my _ friend too, and I’ve known about my abilities for about as long as I can remember. You can’t let this come in between you and Tubbo’s relationship. He’s your friend, you’re supposed to-”

“Tommy, no spoilers!”

Tommy grinned. “Oops. Guess that bit just slipped.”


	2. Dry Hands

Tommy’s prophetic abilities only partially applied to dreams.

To be more specific, he couldn’t predict what his dreams would hold in store for him each night. At first, he figured that it was simply because he was the only living person who existed in his dreams, and Tommy knew he couldn’t predict his own future.

But that theory was completely thrown out the window when he realized that he couldn’t see the dreams in other people’s futures either.

Even before Ranboo made the big discovery of his powers, Tommy wondered if his friend’s ability to work with dreams in the way that he could have anything to do with his lack thereof. It was a stretch, but he’d certainly heard of people using their powers together to achieve something bigger.

While Tommy couldn’t predict the contents of his dreams, he would occasionally have prophetic visions during said dreams.

That night was one of those nights. Images of the people he’s met swirled around the spot inside his consciousness that he was standing. Images that depicted events that hadn’t yet happened. People living out the most important moments in their lives. Meeting their soulmates, getting married, meeting the people they’d consider their best friend for life.

Tommy’s visions weren’t always happy. Sometimes they depicted great sadness or even death. He saw funerals. He saw people grieving the loss of their pets. Their parents. Their lovers.

It was draining, both emotionally and physically for Tommy. He’d seen most of these visions before when initially looking into the minds of people, but still. Nobody liked the thought of the people they knew feeling sad. Or alone. But he hated those visions of death most of all.

He’d been staring at the memories for a while now. Nobody’s in particular, most likely some combination of random strangers off the street whose minds he must have accidentally read at some point or another.

“Tommy?”

Tommy froze, the familiar voice of his friend behind him throwing him off-guard.

“Ranboo?”

-

In hindsight, it was a stupid idea.

Ranboo had thought for a while now that he ought to start entering people’s dreams more often, as he desperately needed more magical experience. His teachers were insistent that he put more practice into his abilities, the only problem being that he didn’t very often spend time around sleeping people.

That is, except for Tommy, who slept in the room right next to his.

And well, projecting into his best friend’s dream seemed convenient and logical, surely nothing could go wrong?

Famous last words.

It was past midnight, Ranboo sneaked ever so quietly into Tommy’s bedroom. His friend is sound asleep, though he wouldn’t have been surprised if Tommy was anticipating his visit, being a psychic and all. 

_ Oh, how wrong he’d been. _

Entering Tommy’s consciousness was a confusing jumbled mess. At first, there was nothing. He stood alone in an empty void that seemed to stretch out for miles before him. The air was crisp, causing goosebumps to form at the exposed skin on his arms.

He wandered. And he kept wandering until he realized that the void was no longer empty. Mixed-up images and movies surrounded him, a messy, unorganized slideshow of different people’s memories. 

That’s when he realized he wasn’t alone. He spotted Tommy, who was standing in the middle of the swirling vortex, inspecting the snippets of imagery that consumed his mind.

“Tommy?”

“Ranboo?”

The moment Tommy looked into Ranboo’s eyes, all of the screens inside the void went blank.

_ Oh. _

_ This can’t be anything good,  _ he thought to himself.

Then, they started up again, only this time displaying the future events of  _ Ranboo’s _ life.

The memories- visions?- they spun around him now. He could barely make any of them out, his mind racing and unable to keep up with all of the new information it kept trying to retain.

“Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck!” came from Tommy.

Hearing his friend’s voice amongst all the turmoil grounded him somewhat. The pictures stopped spinning so rapidly, and he was able to make out his friend’s face amongst the chaos.

He called out to Tommy, his voice hoarse. He hadn’t realized how hard he’d been breathing, both from the cold as well as the anxiety bubbling up inside of him. “What happened? Why am I-”

“You idiot, why would you project into  _ my _ dreams?!” His eyes- icy blue- felt cold as they pierced his own. His voice was angry, though simultaneously felt scared. Tommy never got scared.

Not to mention he rarely heard Tommy use  _ that _ kind of tone outside of snide jokes and teasing. This wasn’t a joking matter, his friend looked nervous, furious, and upset.

“I just- I don’t know I thought that maybe I could practice-”

“Practice your magic somewhere else! You can’t be here Ranboo, you might be exposed to-”

_ Is that Tubbo? _

“-your own memories.”

It  _ was _ Tubbo. More specifically,  _ Ranboo _ and Tubbo. They were sitting in Tubbo’s room, speaking inaudibly.

_ I don’t remember this happening at all _ , he thought.

_ Oh. _

_ Ohhh. _

_ Fuck. _

“I don’t understand,” he stated, “If you can see the future, why couldn’t you see me coming into your dream?”

Tommy glared at him still. “My powers. They don’t apply to dreams.”

“Well, yeah, because you can’t see your own-”

“Even with other people in my dreams, Ranboo. The truth is, I can’t see any of the dreams in your future. Or Tubbo’s. Or anyone’s, for that matter.”

“Oh.” It fell awfully silent. Both Ranboo and Tommy wished that the other would say something, anything to kill the silence.

He turned his head back to the screen displaying him and Tubbo.

Ranboo wasn’t the best lip reader; however, he could make out the words “lucid,” “power,” and “nightmare”. Tubbo’s expression looked…  _ scared _ .

Had he-

“Tubbo finds out about our… you know. Abilities.”

_ Our abilities. Our powers. _

Ranboo whipped around. “Why are you telling me this? You promised not to tell me anything that happens to us in the future!”

Tommy shrugged, a solemn look on his face. “You saw it yourself in that vision. He finds out, and there’s nothing we can do to prevent that.”

“Yeah but- I’m the one who tells him? Or does he find out beforehand? What if he already-”

“I won’t tell you any more than you already know,” Tommy assured him. “Because you shouldn’t know any of this to begin with. But now that you know it’s going to happen inevitably, it’s up to you to decide how you deal with it.”

Ranboo only nodded in reply. He felt himself and Tommy being transported from his mind back into reality, where he quickly made his way to his own room before Tommy had the chance to wake up, hoping to avoid any more of whatever  _ that _ interaction had been.

_ Jesus Christ.  _

That was  _ not _ how Ranboo had been intending his little dream-visit to go.

For one, he learned that his powers were in a sense Tommy’s _ biggest weakness.  _ Which felt weird, because he’d always viewed Tommy as this all-powerful sorcerer with limitless power. 

He had never even considered the idea that his powers might have some sort of flaw to them.

But secondly, Tubbo knew about his powers. Or, he  _ will _ .  _ How _ was the part that he wasn’t certain of. All he knew was that he was terrified to know what the future brought.

Feeling embarrassed, exhausted, and overwhelmed, he crashed onto his bed, falling asleep in not even a minute. 

God. He was ready to forget that that whole experience had ever happened.

-

Morning came, and Ranboo felt arguably shittier than he had the night before.

For one, he hadn’t slept all that well. Waking up multiple times throughout the night only to worry about his and Tommy’s previous interactions had left him feeling groggy and ill rested.

And two. There was still the whole situation with Tubbo he was going to have to deal with. 

While he knew he wouldn’t have to deal with it for quite a while, he still dreaded the thought of having to discuss the magical side of his life with his other best friend.

It’s not that he was opposed to the idea of being open about his personal life with Tubbo. No, that was far from it.

He remembered the look of fear on Tubbo’s face in Tommy’s vision. He didn’t want Tubbo to feel scared, and he especially didn’t want Tubbo to be scared of  _ him _ .

He wandered out into the common area, noticing that Tommy was already up and making breakfast in the kitchen.

“Hi,” Ranboo greeted timidly.

“Hey.” The other man was too focused on trying to un-stick his eggs from the pan to really notice Ranboo’s presence.

“Do you need any help?”

“Yeah. Just help me fry up the bacon? It’s on the counter over there, and you can use the smaller pan up there.” He motioned towards the cupboard containing all of their cookware. 

He felt awkward as he shuffled past his friend, feeling as though his presence was disturbing him.

“Make sure you don’t overcook it like last time.”

“I know, you don’t need to remind me.”

“Actually, I do.” Ranboo looked up from the pan in confusion. “If I hadn’t reminded you, you would have burnt it.”

“How would you- right.” Ranboo felt his cheeks flush red. Their usual dynamic was off, normally they’d tease each other while cooking breakfast. Inside jokes and laughter would fill the kitchen with the smell of whatever breakfast they were making that morning. But today it was just silent.

And Ranboo hated it.

As though he were reading his thoughts, Tommy spoke up.

“We need to talk.”

“Okay.”

The two stared at each other.

“Are you gonna start or am I?” Tommy questioned, though Ranboo figured he already knew the answer.

“Um, you can go.”

“Okay. Uh, for starters. You invaded my privacy last night, entering my dream and all. What happened was messed up, and I’m sure has affected both of us.” Tommy hesitated. “I was scared, freaked out because my dreams are the one part of my life that is totally unpredictable.”

“You don’t need to apologize for yelling at me, I fucked up and I deserved it,” Ranboo butted in.

“No, I’m apologizing. We  _ both _ fucked up, and we both have things to be sorry for. No person is more responsible than the other.”

_ No. It’s my fault, I’m the one that ultimately made this decision. _ “I forgive you. But I  _ am _ sorry, too. For barging into your dream, and for not realizing that you were… vulnerable. During all that.”  _ Was that the right thing to say? _

They finished making breakfast, and things fell slightly back to normal. They made occasional jokes with one another, though both of them knew that their vibe was off. Ranboo ate his eggs in silence. 

He knew that the walk to school was bound to be a hundred times worse.

-

While the walk didn’t take any longer than it usually did, it felt like literal hours before they arrived.

Thankfully, most of their classes were separate from each other.

That didn’t stop the day from feeling excruciatingly long.

Personal training was the worst, Ranboo was obligated to tell Mrs. Reynolds about his experience last night (He’d cut out the details about Tubbo finding out about his magic, of course. He didn’t want his friend to get into any trouble because of him).

“I did it again last night.”

“Oh?” Mrs. Reynolds queried. “And how did it go?”

“Not great,” he admitted. “I projected into my roommate’s dream, he got pretty pissed off at me for doing. Which I mean, rightfully so. But our dynamic just hasn’t been the same since.”

Mrs. Reynolds nodded as if she understood what Ranboo was talking about. “I don’t know who your roommate is- I assume they go to our school- but I’m sure that this is a resolvable problem. You two are close, no?”

Great. He was being therapized by one of if not his least favorite teacher in the entire school.  _ As if today couldn’t get any worse. _

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Then time will heal whatever wounds you’ve caused each other. I’d suggest that in the future, you ask people’s permission beforehand before projecting into their dreams.”

“Well, yeah. I figured that one out myself.”

Mrs. Reynolds frowned. “I understand it’s difficult for you, you’re struggling in ways most of us couldn’t imagine. But I promise you, it gets be-”

The bell rang. 

Ranboo had never been so relieved to hear that sound.

“Sorry, Mrs. Reynolds, I gotta go!” He booked it out the door, not listening to Mrs. Reynolds’s cry of protest.

He dashed down the hall, looking for his and Tommy’s normal meeting spot, but he wasn’t there. This was unusual, because Tommy’s last class of the day was much closer than Ranboo’s was. It was rare for him to show up late like this.

Ranboo

Hey, everything alright?

TommyInnit

I’m alright, the counselor just wanted to talk to me for a bit. I’m on the second-floor rn, be down in a minute

Ranboo

What did she want this time?

TommyInnit

She noticed I was acting anxious during class (still kinda freaked out about the whole dream experience) but it’s really not that big a deal.

Ranboo

Oh. I’m sorry.

TommyInnit

It’s alright, dude. I think I’m just in shock from being in a situation where I couldn’t entirely predict the future. I’m not mad, I promise.

Ranboo

Alright. But I am sorry.

TommyInnit

I know you are, and I already forgave you lol. Give me a minute, I’m almost there :)

A wave of relief washed over Ranboo. Tommy wasn’t mad at him. His texts sounded normal, most if not all of the tension from that morning must have disappeared over the course of the school day. Of course, he still felt guilty about the whole ordeal, but it was still relieving nonetheless.

Not even a minute passed when Tommy arrived, a tired look on his face.

“You look like shit. Everything alright?”

Tommy shrugged. “Who thought that school counselors were a good idea? All they do is tell you to get more sleep and remind you that your grades are shit.”

Ranboo snorted. “Yeah, that sounds about right. Come on, buddy. We’ll go home, and I’ll order us a pizza. We can waste away playing video games all night, and forget about all of our homework. You need a break, my guy.”

Tommy grinned. “Sounds like my kind of night.”

-

Two hours and a large cheese pizza later, the two had fallen back into their usual rhythm. Playing Minecraft late into the night. It was eleven PM when Ranboo received a text from Tubbo.

Tubbo

hey

Ranboo

Hey, what’s up?

Tubbo

can’t sleep lol

nightmare things

Ranboo

Tommy and I are staying up playing Minecraft, wanna join us?

Tubbo:

well, you don’t have to ask me twice

also, can we call?

Ranboo

Of course :)

“Tubbo is gonna be joining us, he also wants to call.”

“Nice, nice. Should we start a new server with him, or just add him to our current one?”

“I’ll just add him to this one.”

Ranboo’s phone began to buzz. An incoming FaceTime from Tubbo.

He picked up immediately, though he kept his camera pointing towards the ceiling.

“Hey.”

“Hi.”

“Tommy’s inviting you as we speak,” Ranboo informed. “You good with that?”

“Yeah, that’s good. I might only be able to stay awake for another hour or two, is that okay?”

“Of course, you need as much sleep as you can get. If you want, we can sleep on call.”

Tubbo’s face flushed a light pink. “Yeah, I’d like that.”

Tommy shot him an evil looking grin. 

Ranboo ignored him.

“Alright, I’m on.”

The night started out with them all playing a pretty basic game of survival Minecraft. Then, it evolved into more competitive games between the three.

_ How many diamonds could you obtain in a certain time period? _

_ How much gold could you smelt? _

Soon, nobody was collecting their own materials. It was no longer a game, it was a battle between the three. Rather than hunt for their own supplies, they figured it would be much more efficient to take what the others had already gained.

Ranboo was too good for them both. He killed both of them, collecting any supplies they’d collected prior.

“TommyInnit, we need to do something here.”

“Yeah, I hear you. Ranboo had better watch out, it’s about to be a 2v1 up in here.”

Ranboo chuckled. “You can have your precious supplies back, but only if you catch me.”

All original goals were abandoned, as their game had turned into a full-blown manhunt. Ranboo was quick, but the hunters were quicker. They chased him for what felt like forever, though it was really only about 20 minutes.

Eventually, they managed to corner him inside a deep cavern, the two hunters surrounding him leaving only a pool of lava behind him

“It’s over, Boo,” Tubbo laughed.

“Give up,” Tommy added.

Ranboo chuckled. “Don’t be so sure about that.” taking something out of his inventory-

“Wait. wait- Tubbo, stop him! He’s got potions!”

It was too late. He drank the potion before hopping into the lava, cackling from behind the screen.

“You motherfucker,” Tommy cursed.

The timer went off. Everyone had forgotten that it was a timed competition.

“Yes! I win!”

“Only because you cheated!”

“There were no rules against stealing!”

“It was implied!”

“Was it really? You guys tried stealing my stuff plenty of times!”

Tubbo was laughing too hard to contribute to their little argument.

Ranboo felt warm inside. He was with his two best friends, playing games just the way they had when they were younger. It was… nostalgic. 

He wanted the feeling to never go away.

-

Ranboo woke up a little while after five, feeling groggy from the lack of sleep from the night before.

His phone was right next to him, plugged into the wall. _ Why was it still on? _

Oh.  _ Right. _ He and Tubbo had slept on call.

Tubbo was still asleep, he could tell by the light snores that occasionally came through the speakers. So he took his phone with him to the kitchen and began to make breakfast.

He was up before Tommy, which was rare because normally he was the early riser, not Ranboo.

He had some extra time this morning. He decided to fry up some pancakes, knowing that they were one of Tommy’s favorites (as well as his own). He’s gotten halfway through making the batter when a muffled voice seemingly came out of nowhere.

“How the hell do you wake up this early?”

It was Tubbo. Ranboo laughed, and responded, “five-thirty is  _ not _ that early. Besides, you get used to it. Tommy and I have to get ready, cook breakfast, and walk to school all before 8 AM.”

“Right, I forgot you two lived by yourselves.” He paused before adding, “is it nice living alone? Without siblings or parents to bother you? Or is it lonely?”

_ Oh. _

“I’d say it’s a mix of both,” he responded. “I’m glad that I don’t have my parents constantly nagging me to do chores, I’m glad that I get to be in charge of what I eat or what I wear.

“But on the other hand, I miss the company. I miss not having to cook every night.” They both chuckled at that. “But I think most of all, I miss the chaos, living with my siblings and my parents. Living in an apartment with nobody but Tommy- it’s just so  _ silent _ .”

“It sounds isolating. I could never live completely alone.”

“Me neither,” Ranboo laughed. “I’m grateful that I have Tommy, I really am.”

_ I just wish I didn’t have to keep the majority of my life a secret from everyone. _

_ Maybe then it wouldn’t feel so lonely. _

“Ooh, are you making pancakes?”

“Why do you ask questions you already know the answer to?” Ranboo teased. 

“Pancakes? All we’ve got is frozen waffles in the freezer. You guys are lucky.”

He snorted. “Not if you’re the one doing all the work.”

“I can fry up some sausages if you’d like,” Tommy suggested.

“Sounds great. Also, Tubbo is here. He just woke up.”

“I can hear that.”

“Oh, shush. You two are so annoying.”

“Yeah, you’re right. I should just hang up and focus on my pancakes.”

“Wait no-”

“Bye Tubbo!” Tommy chimed in, and they both laughed as his cry of protest was abruptly cut off.

“You’re an asshole, you know that?”

“Yeah,” Ranboo grinned. “But I love him.”

“I know you do.”

-

The day went by in a blur. Nothing eventful occurred, aside from the fact that a shit ton of homework had been assigned that day. That along with all of the work he’d avoided the other night was piling up.

_ Eh. _

He could spare a couple of bad grades as it was, at least that’s what he told himself.

Tubbo would be working today, maybe he'd pay him a visit.

While Tommy headed straight back to their apartment, he didn’t even stop to drop off his bags. Straight to the coffee lab. School had been cruel, he needed a bit of extra caffeine.

He got there knowing that Tubbo was most likely already working, given that his school got out almost an hour earlier than his own.

When he came in, he was surprised. It was five PM and the shop was relatively packed. Meaning Tubbo was most likely busy at the moment, helping attend to said customers.

_ No matter. _ There was an open seat at the front of the shop, right where Tubbo was working.

He knew that if he were to sit there, he’d only distract Tubbo from doing his job.

_ Which is just what he intended. _

“Hey there, Honeybee,” Ranboo slid into the open seat.

“Ranboo, I’m working. What is it this time?”

Ranboo shrugged. “I was hoping we could hang out. You know, sometime after your shift is done?”

Tubbo laughed. “Dude. I don’t get done until eleven PM. Unless you wanna sit here watching me serve customers all evening long-”

“What’s that? I’ll pick you up at eleven? Sounds great! Your place or mine?”

“God, you’re insufferable.” Tubbo groaned, but he’s laughing. He couldn’t help it, his chaotic energy was contagious. He couldn’t muster the frustration to protest. “But if you insist, my place sounds good.”

“Alright!” Ranboo hops out of his seat almost as quickly as he’d taken it. “One more thing- could you pour me a black coffee to go?”

“Um, okay? That’s $2.35.”

He whipped out a five-dollar bill with no hesitation. “Keep the change,” he said, not looking up as he passed the note to Tubbo.

“Are you su-”

Before Tubbo could manage another word, he was out the door.

-

He spent the majority of that evening wandering around the city, looking at different shops and places he might like to take Tubbo sometime when it wasn’t so late. It was surprising how quickly time passed, the combination of walking and listening to his playlists made everything around him whir by in what seemed like only a moment. He made a stop at a local convenience store, where he bought a bag of chips for himself and a box of pocky for Tubbo (they tasted like literal shit, Ranboo had no idea why his friend liked them so much).

It was ten-thirty when he texted Tubbo again.

Ranboo

How’s your shift going?

Tubbo

fucking kill me, that was the worst shift i’ve ever done.

Ranboo

Lol was it really that bad?

Tubbo

no not really

but if u want u can come over rn, there’s no one here and i doubt anyone else is gonna show up before closing

it’s kinda lonely ngl

Ranboo

I’m omw

It was only then that Ranboo realized he’d walked farther from the cafe than he’d intended. Not terribly far, but it took him a good twenty or so minutes to walk back. By the time he made it, it was almost closing time.

“Shit, am I late?” He latched the shop door behind him, flipping the sign to show that they were closed.

“You’re right on time. I’m just putting away the stuff that needs to dry overnight, and we can get going.”

Ranboo hummed in reply. He remembered the snacks he’d stashed in his backpack.

“Oh yeah, I got you something while I was out.”

Tubbo flushed. “You know, you shouldn’t-”

“Catch,” Ranboo interrupted him mid-sentence, tossing him the box of Pocky he’d purchased earlier.

“Ranboo! You don’t have to keep buying me these things,” he said, though already digging into the box.

“I still can’t understand how you can eat those things and enjoy them,” Ranboo cringed.

Tubbo gasped dramatically. “I’ll have you know that chocolate Pocky are delicious, don’t ever insult me again!”

“I never said-”

“An insult to Pocky is an insult to me.”

“You’re so weird. Come on, let’s get back to your place.”

Stepping out from the shop, they were greeted by a cool autumn breeze. It was comfortably cool out, both of them having jackets on.

Ranboo hadn’t been paying much attention to Tubbo during their walk. He was more so focused on the sights of the city. But when he felt something brush up against his hand, he looked over to the shorter boy, who’d been staring at him until just then being caught. He turned red, looking away from Ranboo the moment they made eye contact.

And Ranboo didn’t know if it was the result of tiredness, impatience, or pure impulse, but at that moment he reached out to grab Tubbo’s hand.

Tubbo looked surprised but didn’t make any sort of verbal reply. Instead, he squeezed Ranboo’s hand, a silent indicator that he didn’t want him to let go.

Ranboo felt butterflies in his stomach the whole way back to Tubbo’s house. It wasn’t necessarily a bad feeling, just… _ anticipatory. _

Tubbo’s family was already asleep. They never waited for him to get home, as it was often past midnight by the time he arrived. So the two made their way to Tubbo’s room, where Ranboo plopped down onto Tubbo’s bed.

“You know, if you really can't sleep from your anxiety or whatever, I’m sure that you could get prescribed with some anti-nightmare stuff.”

Tubbo shrugged, placing his bag and jacket down by the doorway. “I’m sure I could, but I really don’t want my family worrying about my… you know. Mental health issues.”

“Dude, you can’t sleep because of them. This kind of shit’s serious, and I know you know that too.”

His friend shuffled uncomfortably as he made his spot next to Ranboo. “Can we please not talk about this now? I want a distraction from my anxiety, not a reminder of it.”

He sighed. “Okay, okay, I get that.” He hesitated, before suggesting, “Do you wanna play a video game?”

Tubbo shook his head. “I was hoping we could just… talk? We really haven’t had all that much time to talk ever since we started high school.”

He couldn’t argue there. “Yeah, that sounds nice.”

He felt warm in the presence of the other boy. Though it didn’t last long, because a strange, cool sensation began to creep along his spine. What was it about this situation- this place- that felt so familiar?  _ Was this  _ _ déjà vu _ _? _

He shook off the feeling, almost certain that it was nothing.

“Was there anything specific you wanted to talk about?”

Ranboo hesitated, an unsure expression crossing over his face.

“I just- I mean. Catching up on stuff, you know? We haven’t had much alone time as of lately, I thought it’d be nice…”

Tubbo must’ve known that wasn’t the real reason he wanted to hang out. He didn’t plan this kind of stuff so impulsively when it was just a regular hangout. “Yeah? And what else? Surely that isn’t the only thing you wanted to talk about.”

Tubbo was pushing it. Since when had he gotten so bold?

Was he really going to do this? Ever since he’d seen Tommy’s vision involving him, telling Tubbo about his powers was all he could think about.

The familiarity from earlier. Sitting on Tubbo’s bed the way that they were right then- it felt that way for a reason.

It hit him hard. Tonight was the night that Tubbo found out. Tommy’s vision was coming true.

“Okay. so, there’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you.”

-

Tubbo’s frightened reaction was to be expected.

Not to say that it didn’t hurt, because it most certainly did. He wasn’t sure if Tubbo would ever speak to him again, let alone reciprocate his feelings after this.

“I don’t understand. You can travel through other people’s dreams?”

He nodded. “I’m still training myself to keep control of my abilities in other’s dreams, but I’ve completely gotten used to manipulating my own.”

“Like-” He swallowed. “What do you mean when you say ‘keeping control’?”

“I can only wake up from the dream when the other person wakes up. If I’m already a part of someone else’s dream, I have no choice but to take my own place.” He didn't know whether he should bring up the fact that he’d projected into one of Tubbo’s nightmares before.

The silence was deafening.

“…I know it’s a lot to take in. But you have to promise me, Tubbo, you cannot tell anyone about this.”

“Hold on, what? Why not?”

“Humans aren’t supposed to know about magic. It’s forbidden. If people found out that you knew about us, they’d wipe your memories clean. You wouldn’t remember me, or Tommy, or-”

“Tommy has powers too?”

_ Fuck.  _

He hadn’t meant to get this deep into it with Tubbo, but here he was. There really was no turning back, so everything came spilling out.

“Yes. Tommy has psychic abilities, meaning he can see people’s future just by looking at them.”

“So does he know my future? Does he know your future?” He paused, and then, “do  _ you _ know your future?”

Ranboo shook his head. “He knows both of our futures, however, he promised he’d never tell anyone what their future held, no matter whether the outcome good or bad.”

“Oh. So does he, um, know that we’re having this conversation right now?”

Ranboo laughed. Not because it was funny, but because he was _ so damn nervous _ . This whole  _ situation _ was crazy. He’s telling a  _ human _ that  _ magic _ exists.  _ That’s like, the one law you’re supposed to follow no matter what. _

“Yeah, he probably does. It’s weird, I know.”

Tubbo hummed in contemplation. Ranboo wasn’t sure if his hesitance was a good or a bad thing.  _ He seems calmer than he was when I initially told him, _ Ranboo thought to himself. _ I still don’t know how this is going to play out entirely. _

“If you’re so powerful, give me a demonstration.”

Well, that’s not exactly what he’d been expecting.

“Demonstration… of what?”

“Project into my dreams. I’m sorry, it’s just- it’s hard to believe that…”

No. No no  _ no no no. _ He was not going to relive whatever it was that happened last time.

“Tubbo, listen.” He cleared his throat. “I’ve, uh, accidentally projected into one of your nightmares before. The one where I died and you were at my funeral with Tommy. he blamed you for whatever happened. But-”

“How did you-”

“It’s my ability, I told you. But the thing is, the reason I don’t think projecting into your brain is a good idea is that during that last dream, I felt like I was _ actually dead. _ I was stuck inside this god awful coffin, I was freezing, uncomfortable, and I couldn’t move or speak.”

Tubbo was shocked. 

“Oh. I mean, I guess that makes sense. Um, you  _ did _ kind of perfectly summarize the dream I had that night.”

Ranboo nodded. Maybe things weren’t as bad as they seemed.

“…but I don’t really know how to process this information. I um. I think it might be best for us to stop seeing each other, at least for a while.”

_ Oh. _

His stomach dropped. There went that thought.

“Look, I promise I won’t tell anyone about the magic. And I don’t want us to stay apart forever, but… it’s a lot to take in, you know?”

Ranboo nodded, trying to hide the disappointment on his face. “Yeah, yeah I get that.” He faked a smile, though he could see by Tubbo’s worried expression that it was obviously forged. He then asked in a voice that was  _ maybe _ a little shaky, “How long do you think you’ll need?”

Tubbo shrugged. “No more than a month, I’m guessing. I’ll text you when I’m ready.”

A month wasn’t that long, though he knew it was going to feel like forever.

“I guess I’ll pack my stuff back up.”

And once he was ready to leave, in some mixture of frustration and impulsivity, he gave Tubbo a pained smile before blurting, “I love you, Tubbo.”

He left quickly, not leaving Tubbo enough time to respond.

He got home to find that he had three missed calls and about a million text messages from Tubbo.

Tubbo

wait wdym

Ranboo wait

you can’t just say “i love you” and leave

???

i’m calling you

answer pls

i know i said a break but this is important

you said you love me, what do you mean by that

_ (Missed call from Tubbo) _

please?

i’m sorry if i upset you

_ What happened to “I wanna take a break”, or “I’ll text you when I’m ready?”  _ Because Ranboo saw the number of messages he had received from his friend, and there was no way in hell Tubbo had decided he was ready after a solid 30 minutes

_ Fuck.  _

It was too late to deal with any of…  _ whatever _ this was. Ignoring Tubbo’s messages, he threw his bag into the corner of his room, crashing onto his bed and falling deep asleep before he even got the chance to change into his pajamas.

-

Ranboo woke up the next morning to find that unfortunately, his problems  _ hadn’t _ disappeared overnight. Tubbo had sent a couple more texts whilst he’d been asleep, but for the past couple of hours, he’d been quiet.

_ Good.  _ He needed a break from Tubbo.

Thank god it was Saturday. He doubted that Tommy had any plans made for the day, maybe they could go out somewhere fun. Take Ranboo’s mind off of the shitshow of a confession he’d sort of made the night before.

“Tommy? You up yet?” He called into the common room.

“Yeah, I’m here. I just made myself some cereal for breakfast, but we’ve got bread for making toast in the back cabinet.”

He’d known Tommy for over a decade, and his ability to predict the exact choices Ranboo made still caught him off guard from time to time.

“Great, thanks. I was also wondering-”

“An outing? Fuck yeah. The zoo sounds great,” Tommy grinned. “I know you need some time away from both Tubbo and your phone. I get it, dude.”

_ At this point he’s practically a mind reader _ , Ranboo thought to himself.

“Would you suggest we leave here at noon?” It was half-past ten, which would give them a good hour and a half to get ready.

“Sounds good to me. But afterward, we really need to spend some time on-”

“Please don't say schoolwork-”

“Schoolwork,” Tommy finished.

Ranboo groaned in disappointment. “You can’t make me. Maybe I already made plans to spend this evening wallowing in my own sadness.”

Tommy scoffed. “As if I’d allow you to do that. I’m caught up on a lot more than you are, alright? I can spend some time helping you with your assignments if you’d like.”

Ranboo shrugged.  _ Well, it’s better than working alone. _ He begrudgingly agreed, thankful that they weren’t going to be working on it right that minute.

No. He needed his coffee first.

Generally, on weekends, he’d walk across the street to the coffee shop to buy his coffee. But he knew that there was a chance Tubbo could be working this morning, and he didn’t want to risk running into him.

Instead, he made his own from home. It wasn’t nearly as good as it was store-bought, but caffeine was caffeine.

He changed out of his previous day’s clothes and into something fresh, a baggy grey sweatshirt and blue ripped jeans.

By the time he finished cleaning himself up and changing into his fresh clothes, the caffeine had begun to take its full effect, offering his tired limbs an extra boost of energy to push him through the morning. He still had an hour to go until it was time for him and Tommy to leave, there really wasn’t much to do in the meantime. He passed the time just idly scrolling through social media, ignoring any messages from Tubbo that popped up. 

He knew that Tubbo could see his online status. Part of him debated blocking him entirely.  _ No, _ he’d just have to ignore him for now. Besides, in a little while, he’d be going out to the zoo with his best friend, temporarily leaving behind any worries he may have held connected to Tubbo’s situation.

Ranboo didn’t actually care for the zoo itself, he cared more for the fact this outing was him getting away from his normal life. It was a distraction, really.

And okay, he did enjoy spending time out with Tommy.

Tubbo’s DM’s and unread texts were flooding his notification screen. He  _ knew  _ that he should respond, while he was mildly pissed at the situation, he still cared about his friend.

Ranboo

I’m okay. Please just leave me alone until you’re ready to  _ really _ talk again.

Tubbo

i know, i’m sorry for freaking out yesterday. i’m still trying to process the whole thing, but i do feel bad for shutting you out like that

Ranboo

I know you do, and I’m not mad at you for responding the way that you did.

I’m frustrated because  _ I love you,  _ and I hate getting these mixed signals from you. You want to talk but you can’t, so please just make this easier on both of us, and let’s leave it be for now.

Tubbo

i get what you mean

i really do want to see you soon though, i promise i won’t make this break too long

Ranboo

That’s not what I meant

I want to see you too but that’s not what you need right now

Take as long a break as you need. You’re dealing with nightmares, not to mention some really severe anxiety, and now you’re being overwhelmed with this new information.

Once you’ve processed all of the shit happening right now, we can have a fresh start.

I don’t wanna start too soon and overwhelm you if that makes sense. When I see you again, I want us to both be in a good place mentally

_ Love yourself before loving anybody else. _

Tubbo

okay, i get what you’re saying

but i have one more question

Ranboo

Go for it.

Tubbo

yesterday when you said you loved me

what did you mean by that

Ranboo

Wdym?

Tubbo

i think you know exactly what i mean

Ranboo’s heart hurt. 

Ranboo

Okay. So last night when you told me you needed a break, I was a little bit impulsive.

I revealed possibly the biggest and most secretive part of my life with you, and at that point I just felt so angry and reckless I figured I might as well tell you everything

I was relieved getting all that shit off my shoulders, even if your reaction wasn’t ideal

I think that’s why I felt the need to tell you

So yeah. I have feelings for you. I’m sorry my dumbass had to tell you at such a weird fucking time.

Tubbo

no no no don’t apologize

i feel the same way

i really, really like you too, Ranboo

i just need time to process

Ranboo

Of course

Please don’t rush yourself. I care about you so much, and if waiting means we’ll both be happier in the long run then I’m more than willing.

Tubbo

thank you Ranboo

i love you

Ranboo

I love you too.

By the time he’d finished with all of…  _ that _ , both he and Tommy were ready to go. He  _ desperately _ needed a distraction from everything going on.

Tubbo liked him, and he liked Tubbo back. That was a fact, and Ranboo wasn’t particularly worried about how that would play out over time. No, Ranboo was worried that rushing into things too quickly wouldn’t end well for  _ Tubbo _ . Ranboo loved the idea of seeing Tubbo as soon as possible, spoiling him with kisses, and telling him verbally  _ just how much he loved him. _ It sounded perfect, but the danger of Tubbo’s anxiety spiraling out of control had Ranboo worried. He wasn’t going to put his desires over his friend’s mental health.

So instead, he waited.

-

Time passed. 

It had been at least three months since Ranboo had come clean about his powers, and he still had no contact with Tubbo. At this point, he wasn’t sure if he would ever again.

But that was okay. Tubbo’s health mattered more to him than the possibility of the two ending up together. He knew there was a possibility Tubbo may never speak to him again. And yeah, it hurt to think about. But he had Tommy, who was probably the greatest friend/emotional support he could ask for.

He had his school, which was full of surprisingly supportive people and teachers. Mrs. Reynolds was even trying to teach him how to lucid dream in someone  _ else’s _ dreams. Ranboo thought he’d never see the day that her teachings became useful.

They still attended the coffee shop regularly, the only difference being that the two of them pretended that they didn’t know Tubbo at all.

And Tubbo did the same back at them.

At home, things remained the same as well. Ranboo and Tommy worked on their homework together, played video games on the nights that they had extra free time. Ranboo had expected to feel sad, knowing Tubbo and him might never be considered friends again.

But no. He felt good. While he missed his friend’s presence from time to time, he reminded himself that right now, Tubbo’s needs were to be prioritized. Not his own.

It was as time passed that he grew acquainted with the ball that life had thrown at him.

He was surprised at how little it hurt.

-

It got dark earlier and earlier. Despite only being a little past five o’clock, it was already pitch black outside. Ranboo had expected the night to be peaceful and productive, a time to get things done when his phone buzzed.

Tubbo

meet me in the shop after my shift?

Ranboo swallowed. He didn’t know who- or what- he’d expected when he first picked up his phone, but it certainly hadn’t been  _ him _ . Or, well,  _ that _ .

Tubbo had texted him.

Wanting to meet up with him.

After work.

_ Possibly to reconnect. _

After three months of waiting, this was it. The text he’d waited so long to hear from.

Ranboo’s heart fluttered. As much as he’d attempted to convince himself he was completely fulfilled without Tubbo’s company in the past several months, he still missed his friend desperately. Sure, he’d proven that he could live his life without him in it. But that didn’t mean his life wasn’t a thousand times better when he  _ was _ in it.

His feelings for him hadn’t died down, either.

Ranboo

11 as usual?

Tubbo

yep, though most people stop showing at around 10. i’d say anytime between those hours is safe game.

Ranboo

Sounds good :)

Ranboo felt like screaming.

Holy shit.

Holy  _ shit _ .

_ “Holy shit!” _

“What happened?”

_ Oh.  _ He hadn’t meant to shout.

He’d forgotten that he’d left his door open, and Tommy’s room was right across the hall from his.

“Tubbo texted me. He wanted me to meet him at the coffee shop at ten.”

“You think he still feels the same way that you do?”

“I mean, I’m hoping so, but I’m not gonna bring it up unless he asks me first.”

“That’s probably a smart way to go about it. I’m rooting for you.”

“You already know how things are gonna play out,” Ranboo teased.

“Shush.”

-

Ten o’clock seemed to come so slow, but once it arrived, things felt as though they were moving far too quickly.

He arrived at the coffee lab only a couple of minutes after ten, to which he was greeted by an empty shop. Tubbo was the only employee still working this late.

“Hey,” is all Ranboo could manage. Any other words remained stuck at the back of his throat.

Tubbo hadn’t heard the door open, so he was surprised to hear the other man’s voice come from behind him.

“Ranboo, I-”

“It’s… good to see you.”

Tubbo didn’t utter another word. Instead, he abandoned all work he’d been doing behind the counter and threw himself at the taller boy in a hug.

Ranboo toppled backward with a yelp of surprise, though his shock quickly dissolved into both contentment and relief.

“Fuck, dude, I missed you.” Tubbo’s breath was warm against his neck.  _ God, _ how he missed their physical intimacy. Ranboo melted into his friend’s warm embrace. It was comforting, familiar.

He felt like he was going to cry.

“I missed you too.” He paused, savoring the moment for as long as he could before letting go and asking, “Are you feeling any better than you were… back then?”

Tubbo nodded. “I’ll tell you about it, but let’s sit down first. I’m sure we’ve both got a lot to catch up on”

They each took a seat at the front of the counter, but not before Ranboo rushed to the door so that he could turn the open sign around to show that they were closed.

You know, just in case.

“So, I told my parents about the nightmares. About how they’ve been keeping me up at night. They were really understanding about the whole thing, and made me see a therapist.”

_ Oh, god.  _ “Was it a good therapist or a bad therapist?”

“The first one was pretty shit,” Tubbo informed regretfully. “She thought that the nightmares were the result of child neglect or some shit, which just wasn’t right. 

“But my new therapist, she’s awesome. She’s helped me deal with the anxiety and nightmares in more ways than I could have imagined. I’m on some of those take-as-needed meds for my anxiety, and they work awesome.”

“That’s amazing,” he grinned. “I’m proud of you. I really am.”

“Yeah, well. I wouldn’t have gone if you hadn’t encouraged me. If anything, I have you to thank.”

Ranboo shook his head. “You can’t possibly give me credit for all of that. You were willing to go to therapy, you were open to learning coping abilities, and you applied them to your life without having anyone tell you to do so.” Tubbo flushed. “You need to start giving yourself more credit.”

“That’s what we’re currently working on, actually.”

“Oh!” They both snickered.

After the laughter died down, Tubbo asked, “Do you want me to make you something to drink?”

Ranboo shrugged. “Maybe just a hot chocolate? I don’t want anything caffeinated this late.”

“Don’t you normally stay up until four AM studying either way?”

He cracked a grin. “Usually, but Tommy and my school got given the next half a week off.”

“Oh really? For what?”

“Just catchup week, but Tommy and I are already fairly well off, which basically means we’ve got the next three days to ourselves. AKA sleeping in.”

“Damn, you guys are lucky.” He got up behind the counter and got to work on their drinks. From the looks of it, Tubbo had liked Ranboo’s idea of a hot chocolate and was making one for himself as well.

And damn, he knew that the shop Tubbo worked at was kind of fancy. But the hot chocolates he’d just made- were those on the menu? They had to be, there’s no way Tubbo could make something like that up out of thin air.

“Those look really good,” he commented.

“Yeah? I like adding peppermint to mine, they add it every year around December.”

“I’m good without, but damn. Those are  _ fancy _ .”

“It’s on the house,” Tubbo hands him his cup. They were both served in these great white mugs that were filled to the brim with hot chocolate, topped off with a great wad of whipped cream and drizzled chocolate syrup. Tubbo’s was sprinkled with candy cane crumbs and had half a cane itself sticking out from within the whipped cream.

Ranboo didn’t have the biggest sweet tooth out there, but god, he’d be lying if he said the sight and smell of the hot chocolates weren’t making his mouth water.

“Fuck, those smell amazing.”

“Just be careful, it’s hot.”

It was hard to blow on the steaming chocolate when it was completely covered by a massive mound of whipped cream.

“I usually just mix mine in with the chocolate, it cools it down just a little,” Tubbo read his mind.

Well, it was better than nothing.

It was still absolutely scalding, but in the end, the taste of rich milk chocolate made it worth a burnt tongue.

“Did you just drink it all at once?”

“Yeah.” Ranboo’s voice was hoarse, his throat ragged from drinking too fast.

“You’re an idiot.”

“I am aware.”

Ranboo knew he was staring. He’d always been taught that staring at someone was rude, but right now he didn’t care. He wanted to look at Tubbo. Despite the obvious exhaustion that rested on his face, his eyes creased and glistened with contentment. 

If he noticed Ranboo’s staring, he didn’t comment on it. Instead, he asked,

“Do you wanna spend the night? It’s almost closing time, and I don’t wanna be here any longer than necessary.”

“You sure your parents are cool with me staying over?”

He laughed. “Absolutely not, but it’s late enough for them to be asleep. As long as you leave early tomorrow morning, and we don’t cause a racket, you should be fine.”

_ Cause a racket? Doing what exactly? _

“Another night with little to no sleep? Gee, maybe I  _ should’ve _ gotten something caffeinated.”

Tubbo chuckled at that. “It’s that or heading home now. What’s it gonna be?”

He pretended to be deep in thought before replying, “I’d sacrifice a night’s sleep to spend time with you.”

“Alright, let me finish cleaning up shop and we’ll walk back, alright?”

The place already looked relatively organized as it was. Ranboo assumed that he must have already tidied up most of the day’s clutter.

It didn’t take him long. Tubbo grabbed his jacket and joined Ranboo momentarily, who was already waiting at the front door.

“You all ready to go?”

“Yeah. And you’re sure your parents won’t be up?”

Tubbo rolled his eyes. “We’ve done this before. And I told you, they go to sleep weirdly early. Come on,” Tubbo took Ranboo’s hand in his own. “It’ll be fun, I promise.”

Ranboo was stalling, he knew it. Fuck, why did everything have to be so complicated when it related to Tubbo?  _ And why did Tubbo’s hand feel so fucking good in his own? _

“I guess I’m not so worried about your parents finding us, I’m more worried about how you’ll handle the whole…” Ranboo tapped at his head with his free hand. “Magic thing. The whole dreaming situation?”

He shrugged in response. “It sounded scary at first. But now that I’ve thought about it, it really doesn’t freak me out as much as it did initially. If anything, it sounds kind of  _ cool _ .”

Ranboo couldn’t suppress the grin on his face if he tried. “Really? I thought you’d be, like, really stern about it.”

“How so?”

“I don’t know. I thought maybe you wouldn’t want me sleeping over anymore. Like, out of fear that I might project into one of your dreams?”

“Well, you’ve done it once before.”

“In all fairness, I was dead and couldn’t really do anything if I wanted to.”

“Okay, fair point. But I trust you, I know you’d never do anything to harm me. Yeah, you might be some weird half-human species who can do magic, but you’re also my best friend. I care about you, with or without magic.”

Ranboo squeezed Tubbo’s hand in thanks. He could see the light flush of color rise onto his face.

“Okay. Let’s go home.”

-

Despite the sharp wind that surrounded them, Tubbo wasn’t cold in the slightest.

It certainly wasn’t the first time that the two had held hands. But there was something different about it this time around. He could feel the heat in his cheeks, the warmth of his best friend’s hand in his own. The air around them buzzed with electricity, the silent yet deafening sensation of yearning.

Maybe the difference was just formed from the fact that they were happy to finally be reunited with one another. Or maybe it was because the last time they held hands, they didn’t know for certain whether the other liked them back. Whatever it was, the sensation of butterflies in Tubbo’s stomach was powerful, too powerful. It was slightly unpleasant, but at the same time addicting. Ranboo’s giggles, his teasing, his flirtatious jokes. They became associated with that feeling.

And sure, he supposed there was a chance that Ranboo’s feelings could have faded over their break, but after all of _ this?  _

Tubbo made sure that no one in the house was still up before letting Ranboo in. They were quiet about making their way to Tubbo’s room, afraid that their footsteps might be recognized as those of two people’s.

The coast was clear. When Tubbo was sure the door was locked, the realization of what that implied hit him hard.

It was late at night, and Tubbo had just snuck a boy home with him- a boy that he  _ liked- _ and  _ locked them in his room together _ . Oh, the implications.

“Okay, so I might not have thought this through all the way,” he confessed. “I don’t know what I’m doing.”

Ranboo burst out laughing. Relief washed over him when he heard the words, “Me neither! Shit, dude. A couple of hours ago I was studying for a history exam. I didn’t expect to end up locked in my crush’s room at half-past midnight doing god knows what.”

The moment the words left his mouth, he saw the flash of panic come over Ranboo’s face. He went beet red, hiding half of his face in his hands as he cringed at the last part of his sentence.

Tubbo let out a nervous  _ “heh,” _ before adding, “Yeah, well. It’s not every day that I sneak cute boys into my room in hopes that they might  _ initiate something after months of not seeing them. _ ”

“Oddly specific, but I believe you.”

Tubbo shut his eyes and giggled to himself.  _ They were a disaster. _

“Hey, Tubbo.”

A warm hand was cupped against his cheek. His eyes opened and all he could see was Ranboo.

_ Ranboo. _

_ Oh. _

Ranboo’s sunkissed skin with freckles scattered across his nose and cheeks.

Oh?

His silvery eyes, which sparkled under the moonlight with patience and longing.

_ Ohhh. _

_ Fuck. _

He was waiting for Tubbo’s permission. He didn’t hesitate to lean in, capturing his friend’s lips on his own. Tubbo’s heart pounded hard, his skin felt like it was on fire. 

The exchange only lasted for half a second, but when Ranboo kissed him back? Dear  _ god _ did it feel right.

“Is that an acceptable suggestion for an activity?”

_ This man was going to be the death of him. _

“I’d say so. Do-” Ranboo motioned to the center of Tubbo’s bed. “Do you want to move up here? You can sit on my lap if you’d like.”

_ Holy shit. _

Was this actually happening?

Was this real life? Or was Tubbo dreaming? If he was, he never wanted to wake up. 

“Okay,” he choked out in a small voice.

He climbed onto the bed and into Ranboo’s lap, wrapping his legs around the taller man’s body.

“Your skin’s like, burning,” Ranboo teased. “What, are you  _ desperate _ to finally touch me like-”

_ Not another word.  _ He couldn’t suppress his smile as he captured Ranboo’s lips in another kiss, only this one was a lot longer, a lot sweeter.

Ranboo’s lips were soft- maybe slightly chapped- but  _ warm _ against his own. Kissing Ranboo was everything that he’d imagined it would be like, but a hundred times better. The kisses- they started off slow. They were emotional, pleasurable, exhilarating. 

And god, did everything about them feel  _ right _ . 

Feeling maybe a little bit desperate, he ran his hand through Ranboo’s dirty blond hair, tugging at it slightly which coaxed Ranboo to open his mouth, gaping slightly in surprise.

Tubbo was impatient, he took that as an opportunity to dip his tongue in and deepen the kiss. He explored Ranboo’s mouth with his tongue, though he was still not entirely sure what he was doing. He’d only ever made out a couple of times before,  _ none of which felt nearly as good as this did. _

Judging by Ranboo’s breathy pants, he assumed he was doing an alright job. He felt Ranboo grab fistfuls of his hoodie, as though he were trying to pull him even closer than he already was. Not wanting Tubbo to have all the control in this situation, he went ahead and nibbled at his lower lip.

Tubbo fucking  _ moaned _ at that.

He could tell by the assured hum he let go of that Ranboo wanted to hear that sound again.

Ranboo pulled away for a moment, an overconfident smirk on his lips. “You like that?”

“Shut up.”

“I’m afraid you’re going to have to make me.”

Tubbo didn’t waste another second. Their lips smashed back together, shameless of how desperately they kissed one another. Tubbo had been starved of Ranboo’s kisses all his life, and now that Ranboo sat beneath him all he could do was kiss. Hungry kisses were all he could think of them as. Something told him that his friend had a relatively similar thought process judging by his matched eagerness to reciprocate those actions.

Tubbo felt dizzy from kissing Ranboo. Not that he was complaining, because it felt  _ perfect _ . 

_ Fuck _ , he could feel Ranboo  _ smiling _ through their kisses. Ranboo couldn't focus on anything other than the fact that he was lightheaded and overwhelmed with bliss.

“So if we sleep together, and I have a dream, do you automatically become a part of it?”

He shook his head. “It’s less automatic. I have to focus and think about my intentions before actually projecting. It’s rare that I accidentally project like I did last time.”

Tubbo nodded. “Another question is- how much freedom do you have in shared dreams? What do you have control over?”

“Pretty much everything. Unless I’m somehow trapped- like that one dream a while back- I can control everything and anything so long as neither of us wakes up.”

“So, theoretically, you could make me taller than you?”

“Don’t think I can change real people’s appearances, sorry.”

“Damn. But could we like, theoretically, make out in our dreams?”

_ Well. _

_ He certainly hadn’t been expecting  _ that _ for a question. _

“Didn’t realize you were that desperate again already,” he teased.

Tubbo scoffed. “Well, hey. If we did this in our dreams then maybe we wouldn’t be having to use up all this makeup! My sister’s gonna notice it’s missing.”

“Okay, okay, you have a point. But to answer your question, technically we could. You might need to get used to lucid dreaming first, though. It’s difficult to hold a dream when you’re only partially in control of it.”

Tubbo shrugged. “I mean, it makes sense.”

They sat in comfortable silence when a notification from Ranboo’s phone caused it to light up, announcing the time in large white numbers.

It was past five o’clock.

His eyes widened in panic. “Holy shit dude, I gotta go!”

Tubbo cackled. “Okay, but promise me you’ll teach me the next time we hang out!”

“Of course. Now if you’ll excuse me,  _ I _ need to make a run for it.” He grabbed his bag, slinging it over his shoulder.

“Tommy and I will see you at the coffee shop tomorrow, alright?”

Tubbo nodded. Ranboo gave him a quick kiss on the forehead before making a dash for the door.

“Wait!”

Ranboo whipped around.  _ Any minute now, his parents could wake up- _

“Are- are we boyfriends now? I just wanted to make sure-”

“Tubbo. Do you think I would've just made out with you on your bed if I didn’t want to be your boyfriend?”

_ Oh. _

“Okay, maybe not. But I’m just making sure.”

_ You worry too much.  _ “Of course. Love you, Honeybee.”

“I love you too, Boo.”

He crashed onto his bed, a feeling of exhaustion and bliss overcoming his mind, his thoughts hazy and disoriented.

He was going to be  _ so _ fucking tired tomorrow.

_ Worth it, _ he thought to himself before falling asleep.

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is kinda old but I figured I might as well get it out there, as we're all starving for Enderbees content :')


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